Mecole Hardman isn’t letting fans forget about his game-winning catch in the Super Bowl anytime soon. During team introductions, the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver rocked a special message on the back of his jersey: “Mr. Walkoff.”
Hardman has earned the title. With the San Francisco 49ers up 25-22 in Super Bowl LVIII’s overtime, Hardman hauled in a touchdown pass to give the Chiefs their third championship in the past five years. The day after the game, Hardman reflected on the electrifying catch.
“It feels great. It’s an undescribable feeling, that’s all you can say about it,” Hardman said during an early appearance from Las Vegas on The Today Show. “I don’t remember none of it. When I caught the pass, I blacked out for a second.
“I guess the magnitude of the moment got to me, but all I can remember is after I caught it, I see Pat running to me like, ‘You’re a champion!’ I thought, ‘Oh what?! Ok, bet,’ and I started celebrating. But I don’t remember anything after I caught the ball.”
Although Mecole Hardman might not remember the exact moment he boosted the Chiefs to victory, he’ll never forget the results of his catch. He certainly hasn’t forgotten the obstacles he’s had to overcome to achieve his current status.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet I don’t think,” Hardman said about his season journey. “The road is so much like a roller coaster, just up and down, getting traded for the first time in my career and going back to the team I got drafted by and being welcomed and ending here by winning the Super Bowl, I wouldn’t have it any other way. It definitely hasn’t sunk in yet, but I’m waiting for it to happen.”
“We’ve been through the battles. I feel like we hit adversity and hit it head on, but defeated it. Now we’re here, Super Bowl champs,” Hardman shared on the field to KSHB 41. “… The last two we won, it was like everybody expected us to win it. This one, everybody was counting us out, everybody said we couldn’t do this and couldn’t do that, and now look at us, Super Bowl champs three times.”
Hardman will look to keep the good times rolling tonight as he takes the floor for the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. He will play under ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, who is serving as one of the head coaches in the game.
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